Abraham Gasparyan: International sanctions against Azerbaijan are needed to help prisoners in Baku; Streets of world capitals must be flooded
Not only Ruben Vardanyan, but also the rest of our boys are spending these days of their lives in very harsh, inhumane, and merciless conditions, with an unknown fate, because we are dealing with a state like Azerbaijan, where talking about human rights is unrealistic, Director of Genesis Armenia Think Tank and Foundation, Candidate of Political Sciences, Associate Professor Abraham Gasparyan said during a discussion in Freedom Square.
Regarding the hunger strike of Mane Tandilyan, Co-founder of the Country of Living party, and other party members, who are asking Ruben Vardanyan—who has declared a hunger strike in a Baku prison—to end his hunger strike, Gasparyan noted that this is a method of political struggle, typically used when the trumpets of human rights protection are silent. “This is a cry for struggle; this is a political stance of solidarity with a fellow party member, because this person risks her health for the sake of a cause, for the sake of Ruben ending his hunger strike,” Gasparyan stated.
He noted that there should be extensive media coverage of the hunger strike, so that the information somehow reaches Baku.
“It should reach Ruben, the boys, Davits, Levon, the former presidents, so that they will know that the Armenian people and the people of Armenia have not left them alone and will never leave them alone—regardless of the stance of the Armenian authorities,” Gasparyan said, highlighting that the government continues to refrain from participating in this process.
Speaking about the paths to make the return of the military-political leaders of Artsakh possible, Gasparyan noted that one of the ways to solve the issue is through relevant calls from two capitals—Moscow and Washington. “For that, as a leader, you must be consistent; you must raise that issue; your embassies must not rest day or night; they must knock on the doors of the states they serve—in the corridors of the foreign ministries, in the presidential offices, or wherever; your ambassadors must engage in this; they must raise the issue; they must constantly speak about it in the local media, on television. But it is clear that nothing can be expected from this ruling power, because for them the displacement of 120,000 compatriots meant nothing, let alone that these are potential political rivals,” the political scientist said.
According to him, this issue needs to be subjected to a pan-Armenian mobilization because this is not just about Ruben Vardanyan or the other captives; this is about the political future of the Armenian people as a whole, which is currently being tried in Baku. “A pan-Armenian mobilization is needed, led by all organizations that have human capital, the ability to mobilize, resources, connections, and networks through lobbying offices around the world. We need to reach a point where sanctions are imposed on the Azerbaijani state, specific individuals, and specific officials in all organizations where Azerbaijan is represented, starting from the state banking sector of Azerbaijan to European platforms. Serious work needs to be done; the streets must be flooded—from American Wall Street to London, to Paris, to Brussels, to all the buildings of the European Union, the European Commission; we must be able to block them and speak about all of this. I know that there are organizations capable of taking on this responsibility, because if we slip again—and if Ruben’s health worsens, and he dies, God forbid—we will never forgive ourselves,” Gasparyan said.
